Pushy, aggressive and annoying sales methods have been a staple of success for many companies for decades. Today’s internet-enabled buyer resists this type of sales pitch and the phenomenon has changed sales leads your company depends upon.
When you get a sales lead today, the methods you use to “reel them in” need to be very different that the ones you used a few short years ago. Your prospects want to get valuable information from you, but when it comes to snagging them for the sales close; it is like they are wearing impenetrable armor. They resist or delay any decision. Sales cycles are much longer and can cause sales revenues to shrink.
The “hard-sell harpoon method” still works for some groups. If you watch late-night infomercials, you may be repelled by the cheesy things said. Still, sales are being made every day. For most companies, the new buyer attitude will force you to use a net instead.
Design a Content Net
Instead of trying to snag your sales lead and drag them into your boat of closed sales, try developing content that lures them into a relationship of trust. When you deliver information that informs and entertains the prospect comes back time-after-time for a little bite until you become a valuable resource.
Regularly scheduled email marketing is a powerful way to “chum the waters” and lure your sales leads into the net. You can feed prospects valuable information they can use. The perception of the sales lead is transformed from being resistant to your promotion –to- welcoming what you have to share. When the sales lead is ready to make a decision, they will often contact you.
Connect – Don’t Pitch
The old-style pitch letters, riddled with yellow highlighting, giant fonts and aggressive sales language require highly skilled copywriters. This type of landing page still works for some types of sales…so those high-powered copywriters are still in demand.
The good news is you can relax when your goal is connection rather than a scientifically manipulative appeal for getting cash out of the buyer’s pocket. You don’t need to scrutinize every word and implement a tool box of sales tricks.
It is much easier to craft relationship building content. Simply analyze your ideal client and determine what sort of information they needed before they chose your company. You can find a lot of data in your CRM (Customer Relationship Manager). Your sales team and customer service staff can tell you what questions are asked on a daily basis. Use this information to develop a steady stream of informative content in an email marketing campaign.
Content that Lures
Once you figure out what your customer wants and needs create content that responds. The quality of the content should be pretty good because you want to leave a good impression of your company. However, the tone of your emails is more conversational and human. The goal of luring sales leads into your net is to nurture them and develop a human connection with them as their helpful resource.
Contrast the trust level a sales lead experiences when you try to “harpoon” them into buying what you sell…to the gentle persuasion of feeding them what they want to receive. Clearly there is a huge difference in the two approaches.
Take the time to set up campaigns for email marketing using what you know of your prospects. The net approach is much more profitable in the long run.